Mike Shields column in a recent issue of MediaWeek struck a major chord with me. And I thought I was the only one...
He admits he’s confused with exactly what to do with Facebook. He states that he is a “…34-year old…” who feels “…like an embarrassingly clueless old man whenever I visit the site. I'm the guy who showed up at spring break a few years too many after graduation.” Dude, I get it…your column I mean!
I originally established my Facebook account last year to “connect” with a few young people I met at a networking event. Since then, when I hear friends and business acquaintances passionately describe Facebook's life-altering, addictive effects, I scratch my head, while pretending to agree, often chiming in “Yes…I’m on Facebook…” to those who care; but for the life of me, I haven’t figured out exactly what to specifically DO with it that I can’t do directly with email my website.
I thought it was just me…but apparently it also affects those who are half my age (audible sigh of relief). Still, I keep trying. So far, I've got a handful of friends listed, and I have a cartoonish picture posted on my profile from the Simpson’s site. Frequently, I'll get messages regarding my friends' (and friends of friends) recent activities via Facebook's News Feed that say things like “Julia Kabashe is sooo tired and can't wait for the weekend.” Thanks for keeping me in the loop, Julia. Exactly WHO are you? Regardless, I hope you get that much-needed rest soon.
I also have several “friends” who recently found me on Facebook who I haven’t seen or spoken to since high school (and that has been a LONG time for me). That's nice, I suppose, but how far do we take this online reunion? Should we get together for some touch football?
Gotta sign off now…a text just came in, my IM pinged a moment ago, and I have to go in and update both the MySpace and LinkedIn profiles. I’m too busy to connect anymore with you.
LINK TO Mike’s 5/19 article: http://www.mediaweek.com/